After reading Galileo, Descartes came close to destroying his own work. Galileo was under house arrest under the Roman Inquisition for his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems which proposed a heliocentric model - that the sun was at the centre - of the universe. He is now known as 'the father of modern philosophy' but he wasn't that then, when Helena knew him. It is likely that Helena knew Descartes at a critical time in his life before he had published and perhaps for a decade or more. It said something to me about the invisibility of women in history, both then and now. As I read more widely, it became apparent that although historians knew about Helena Jans, few showed any degree of curiosity about her, about the relationship, and its possible impact on Descartes and his work. I had studied Descartes at university and yet knew nothing about this relationship. As I started my research, I came across a one-line reference to Helena Jans, the Dutch maid with whom he had an affair. I knew I wanted to write about Descartes but did not want to write from his point of view so much had been written about him already. Where did the idea of The Words in My Hand come from? It is something I've come to question since as a writer. I never questioned it at the time, but literature for me was predominantly male. I didn't have much money so spent a lot of time in secondhand bookshops, buying books for pennies. I read a lot of literature in translation: Camus, Gide, Knut Hamsun and loved the large format paperbacks that Picador used to publish. I remember reading all of H G Wells, then George Orwell. It wasn't until I was in my late teens that I began to read and read and read to read as if the world was about to run out of books. Who were your literary influences as you were growing up? The Words in my Hand was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2016.

Helena's story will make you question that. Descartes is often thought of as a terrible loner, alone with his thoughts. The Words in My Hand, her first novel, is based on the little-known story of Helena Jans, who worked as a Dutch maid and was Descartes' lover.Īlthough many books have been written about Descartes, about Helena almost nothing is known. Her short fiction has been published by Mslexia and The Scotsman and she has won awards from Arts Council England and the British Council for her work. She has a background in historical research and has worked for BBC History Online.

Originally from the north of England, Guinevere now lives and works in Cambridgeshire.

Tales of Love & Loss by Knut Hamsun